NM couple says Carnival cruise wasn't that bad

UPDATED 6:54 AM MST Feb 18, 2013

LOVING, N.M. -

A local couple returning from their vacation aboard the Carnival cruise ship Triumph said their experience wasn't as bad as everyone has made it sound.

Daniel and Andrea Ramirez, from Loving, N.M., arrived at the El Paso International Airport Friday night to a whole group of family and friends waiting for them. Laughing as they headed off the escalators, their family joked about the last five days.

Jokes aside, though, the couple told the media that the cruise certainly wasn't what they had expected.

"We're just happy to be here," Andrea Ramirez told reporters.

Yet, they had a very different story than others that the public has heard.

They said their cabin wasn't flooded, and they were able to sleep in it every night. They invited others to share the room, too, and left the door open for extra air.

They recalled urine- and feces-soaked carpets with overflowing toilets, but said there were clean bathrooms for passengers to use. They said food and supplies were delivered to the ship every day via helicopter and other passing ships.

"It was not as bad as they've said," said Daniel.

He added that the ship had running water and they were able to shower every day.

The couple said above everything that happened, the crew working on the cruise ship was absolutely phenomenal.

"Oh God," Andrea said. "The crew. They did an amazing job with this."

They said the crew worked around the clock to make the conditions bearable.Lawsuits against Carnival are emerging left and right now. Carnival offered each passenger a free flight home, $500, a full refund and a voucher for a free cruise.

'Disgusting' cruise ship’s journey finally ends

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Michael Humphrey/CNN

Triumph approaches dock

The Carnival Triumph cruise ship docks at the port of Mobile, Alabama, February 14, 2013. The 893-foot (272 meter) vessel, now notorious for reports of raw sewage from overflowing toilets, has been without propulsion and running on emergency generator power since Sunday, when an engine room fire left it adrift in the Gulf of Mexico.